Resident Evil’s plot isn’t really the focus of the games. That isn’t to say the lore doesn’t have its fans or appeal, just that it's brasher and looser when compared to the likes of Silent Hill. For a series that pioneered the survival horror genre, it can often feel more like a 1980s action flick than a George Romero zombie movie.
This divide between going for scares or explosions has led to a few retcons over the years. Plot points got altered, scenes got switched around, and characters got changed. Sometimes they were for the better, and other times it was more of a sidestep. Here are some of the most significant retcons in Resident Evil.
6 How Many Founders Did Umbrella Corp Have?
This one might be less of a retcon and more of a gradual unfolding. Umbrella, the big bad corporation behind most of the games, originally had one founder in Dr Oswell Spencer. He had a replica of his mansion built in the Arklay Mountains to house a lab that dealt in experimental viruses, and it led to a bunch of trouble that’s since produced about 30 years’ worth of shocks and spills.
Then it turned out he had some accomplices. James Marcus, a university friend, was a fellow Umbrella bigwig until he became the big bad of Resident Evil Zero. Then a man called Edward Ashford was revealed as another co-founder and got his weird kids Alfred and Alexia involved. Even Resident Evil Village’s Mother Miranda got involved. She looked after a young Oswell when he was hiking, and her work with mold inspired the man to replicate her work. Mold didn't work for him, so he switched to viruses instead.
5 Rebecca Had a Whole Adventure Before Reaching the Mansion
The STARS Bravo team's part in Resident Evil 1 used to be so straightforward. They were sent in first to scout out the place, then things went wrong thanks to a certain shades-wearing scientist in disguise. Then Resident Evil Zero complicated things with a series of murders, a train crash, an ex-con on the run, and leeches.
Eventual survivor Rebecca Chambers would have to work with convicted murderer (but did he do it?!) Billy Coen to uncover the truth behind it all. It would just involve a secret train track, another hidden lab, and Umbrella co-founder Dr. James Marcus' opera singing. Then, once that's wrapped up, she goes to the mansion, meets Chris Redfield, and plays the piano among everything else. She probably didn't even get overtime pay either.
4 Lisa Trevor in Resident Evil Remake
The problem with making bigger, better, and newer games, is that the older entries become increasingly smaller, worse, and old by comparison. Resident Evil 2 and 3 had a whole city to navigate, alongside some big, stalking terrors in Mr. X and Nemesis. Why begin at the beginning when the middle is much more exciting? Enter the Resident Evil remake, or REmake, for the Gamecube.
Aside from adding new monsters and gameplay mechanics, it added its own constant threat in Lisa Trevor. She and her family were abducted by Umbrella. Then she was used as collateral to make her father, architect George Trevor, design the mansion. While he was ultimately left to die, Lisa was used as a test subject for Umbrella's viral research for nearly 30 years. It made her terrifying and sympathetic at the same time, giving REmake an extra edge its predecessors lacked.
3 Elza Walker Becomes Claire Redfield
This one is perhaps borderline, as Elza Walker was never made canon, to begin with. However, she’s also a sign of how little changes can lead to big consequences. When Resident Evil 2 began development, the plan was that neither of its protagonists would be connected to Resident Evil 1's characters. The team got partway through their plan with rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy, and Elza Walker, a biker enrolled at the local university who got caught up in the zombie outbreak.
They got far enough into their build that it's since hit the internet as Resident Evil 1.5, but the development team wasn't satisfied with their work, so they scrapped it and began from scratch. Thus, Elza Walker became Claire Redfield, sister of Chris. Since then, she's become one of Resident Evil's most popular characters, joining her brother in Resident Evil: Code Veronica and leading the way in Resident Evil: Revelations 2. Would Elza have gotten the same reception? It's hard to say, though some fans hope to see her make it into a game someday.
2 Albert Wesker Becomes A Supervillain
The Sega Saturn port of Resident Evil 1 managed to get a few exclusive features. It had a mini-game called ‘Battle Game’ where the player used a limited amount of weapons and items to survive different rooms full of monsters. Every so often, one of the threats would be a zombie version of Wesker, giving players the chance to give him the headshot he deserved. Wesker was just going to be the team traitor, the guy who tries to sell his crew up the river only to get hoisted by his own petard.
Then it turned out he used a special virus to survive, and just in time to be the surprise villain for Code Veronica. Weirdly, Capcom must've felt he came off as too human in the Dreamcast release because he got boosted up in the PS2 port Code Veronica X. He was super strong, super fast, and finally the supervillain everyone is familiar with today. Wesker was then revealed to be responsible for the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3 behind the scenes, got Ada to get the "sample" in Resident Evil 4, and almost achieved complete global saturation in Resident Evil 5. Not bad for a guy who originally couldn't hold down one building.
1 The Plagas Were the Basis for Nemesis
Resident Evil 4 was significantly detached from its prior entries on purpose. Umbrella got shut down off-screen, the action went across the pond to Spain, and the zombies were replaced with parasite-infected Ganados. RE2’s Leon Kennedy and Ada Wong came back but received a few changes. Leon never suplexed zombies or backflipped over lasers in Raccoon City, so, when Capcom made the Resident Evil 3 Remake, they decided to bring it closer to RE4.
It introduced the NE-α parasites, Umbrella’s attempt to artificially recreate its Plagas. Like them, they leave their hosts with enough intelligence to be self-aware and use weapons. These would become the reason why Nemesis could speak (albeit just one word) and use a rocket launcher. It would also now share its 'gift' with other zombies, turning them into tougher, more tentacled versions of themselves. With a Resident Evil 4 Remake on the way, fans can only imagine what will be changed next.